THE DAILY WHIP: FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2011

**Members are advised that votes are not expected before 11:00 a.m. at the earliest. Following one minute speeches, the House is expected to recess subject to the call of the Chair.

H.Res. 382 - Waiving clause 6(a) of Rule XIII (requiring a two-thirds vote to consider a rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules Committee) (One hour of debate) This resolution waives the requirement of a two-thirds vote to consider a rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules Committee. This would apply the waiver to any resolution reported from the Rules Committee through the legislative day of August 2, 2011.

This Rule would allow the Republicans to make last minute changes to the Speaker Boehner Default Act, and not have to give members any notice. This is a violation of House Rules and the repeated promises made by Republican Leadership.
S. 627 – Speaker Boehner’s Short Term Default Act (amending the Faster FOIA Act of 2011) This bill provides for a short term debt limit increase, which will allow for a similar stand-off in just a few months. It provides a second increase to the debt ceiling contingent on enactment of recommendations from a 12 member joint committee of Congress which produce $1.6 trillion in additional deficit reduction. It would require passage by Congress of the committee’s reported legislation by December, 23, 2011.

This bill caps FY2012 discretionary budget authority at $1.043 trillion. FY2013 budget authority would be capped at $1.047 trillion. Budget authority would rise steadily over the subsequent eight years to $1.234 trillion in FY2021. It triggers automatic across-the-board cuts if those caps are exceeded. Therefore, the bill would initially cut under $1 trillion over the next 10 years and allows the President to request an increase in the debt ceiling by $900 billion immediately.

It also requires the House and Senate to vote on a balanced budget amendment. According to the Rule, the House could take up multiple versions of a balanced budget Constitutional amendment as early as tomorrow.

Short-term proposals risk further uncertainty and the potentially damaging downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. House Republicans continue to walk away from negotiations while insisting that the budget be balanced on the backs of seniors and the middle class. While Democrats support deficit reduction, we support doing so in a balanced way that provides certainty to the economy. This is yet another example of the Republicans taking a “my way or the highway approach.”

H.R. 440 - To provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia (Rep. Wolf - Foreign Affairs)

H.R. 2244 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 67 Castle Street in Geneva, New York, as the "Corporal Steven Blaine Riccione Post Office" (Rep. Hanna - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.R. 2213 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 801 West Eastport Street in Iuka, Mississippi, as the "Sergeant Jason W. Vaughn Post Office" (Rep. Nunnelee - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.R. 789 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 20 Main Street in Little Ferry, New Jersey, as the "Sergeant Matthew J. Fenton Post Office" (Rep. Rothman - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.R. 1975 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 281 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, as the "First Lieutenant Oliver Goodall Post Office Building" (Rep. Schiff - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.R. 1843 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 489 Army Drive in Barrigada, Guam, as the "John Pangelinan Gerber Post Office Building” (Rep. Bordallo - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.R. 2062 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 45 Meetinghouse Lane in Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts, as the "Matthew A. Pucino Post Office" (Rep. Keating - Oversight and Government Reform)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK

The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Saturday, July 30: The House will meet for legislative business and there will be votes. Timing and the legislative schedule will be announced as it becomes available.

The Daily Quote

“Speaker John Boehner postponed the planned House vote on a debt-limit increase late Thursday night, casting new doubt on Congress’ ability to avert a default and further exposing a deep philosophical divide in the Republican Conference. Four-and-a-half hours after the vote was supposed to begin on the House floor, Republicans announced they would start again in the morning, but the end game remains unclear on this trillion-dollar package…the balk by House Republicans raised doubts about the ability of the Washington political class to come up with a solution that prevents a breach of the nation’s borrowing authority, a default on its debt obligations and a possible downgrade in its credit rating.”

- Politico, 7/28/11

“[I]f we’re lucky enough to be in the Majority, and I’m lucky enough to be the Speaker, I will not bring a bill to the floor that hasn’t been posted online for at least 72 hours.”